Vintage Queen no 136: Jessica from Canada

Meet lovely Vintage Queen no 136, the fabulous Jessica from Canada. She absolutely lives and breathes vintage every day, from her amazing mid-century wardrobe to her fantastic and very knowledgeable blog.

“My name is Jessica Cangiano and I’m a 29 year old life long – no joke, we’re talking from toddler-hood onward – vintage loving gal who lives in beautiful Penticton, British Columbia Canada with my darling husband, Tony, and our two adorable critters, Stella the tabby cat and Annie the American Bullador puppy. I’m a full-time vintage blogger (I blog at Chronically Vintage), as well as a writer, editor, photographer and crafter.

Though I have a deeply rooted interest in history as a whole, with many periods in particular being standouts for me, the Forties and Fifties have always floated my boat like nothing else, and from my teen years onward, I’ve been sporting the fashions of these decades and loving every last minute of it. I find that when I wear vintage I not only feel more confident and happy than I do in most modern fashions, but that I feel a great deal more like myself (they also tend to work worlds better on my short, curvy hourglass figure than many current styles).

There really isn’t a time in my life when I haven’t been wildly fascinated by, and head-over-heels in love with, the mid-twentieth century. It was by no means the easiest or most idyllic period in human history, but that is part of the reason I feel drawn to it so much. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the Greatest Generation, as Tom Brokaw called those who came of age during the Great Depression and would go on to shape the Forties, Fifties and beyond, and have always felt a powerful kinship with the people and events of this time frame.

While I will sometimes go for a highly period specific look or dress in items from just one decade, I’m not opposed to mixing elements of both the Forties and Fifties, especially since some very naturally lend themselves to one another so well. I’ve always loved a lot of different styles, such as girly-girl, preppy, and a certain ladies-who-lunch kind of timeless sophistication, and I constantly enjoy wearing the various styles that speak to me into my vintage wardrobe. I’ve long come to know that there’s very few styles you can’t interpret with vintage pieces. I’m a firm believer in dressing however you want as often as possible and also in that it’s vitally important to always be true to your owl soul and sense of style when it comes to wearing vintage.

My wardrobe is a treasured amalgamation of genuine vintage items (sources from thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets, vintage shops, antique stores, auctions, gifts from friends and family, online, etc), vintage reproduction, vintage appropriate garments, and timeless pieces such as pearls and cardigans. I love to bargain hunt and find great deals on vintage pieces, and even though sourcing vintage from thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets and their ilk is getting harder and harder in recent years where I live and throughout much of the country, I still try to hit such spots as often as possible – you just never know when luck will smile on you.

I live in a relatively small town about five hours north of Vancouver, B.C., which at present does not have any vintage clothing stores, nor is there a vintage community here or in the surrounding areas. The same is true throughout many parts of Canada, which unfortunately, generally speaking, lacks the widespread vintage scene that one encounters in certain other parts of the world, such as the UK and some places in the States and Australia. That isn’t of course to say that there aren’t other vintage folks in Canada, there definitely are (and some cities such as Edmonton and Toronto have well established vintage scenes), but there isn’t a huge number of us amongst the country’s overall population by any means.

I never let being a party of one deter me from doing anything I want though, and rock my vintage looks around town wherever I go. This past September my husband and I took a week long holiday to Calgary, Alberta and while there, a dear online friend and fellow vintage blogger came down from Edmonton and spent the day with us. Meeting her was the first time in my twenty-nine years on this planet that I’d ever met another mid-century vintage wearer in person. It was an almost surreal experience for me, and I hope it will be just the first of many such meet-ups with fellow vintage loving folks that happens in the years to come.

My blog and involvement in the online vintage community are a massive part of my life, especially because severe chronic health problems (I’ve been chronically ill since I was 18) often leave me housebound, where having the web allows me to connect with like minded vintage loving folks the world over from the comfort of home. It also provides me with a tremendous creative and therapeutic outlet in the process through the frequent writing I do for my site.

When I am having a rare good day on the health front, I will usually go out and do an photo shoot with my husband (who is a talented part-time photographer , on top of his full-time career in the IT field), then feature some of my favourite snaps from that day in a vintage outfit blog post. We adore the process of doing photo shoots together, as it’s something we both benefit from, as well as being an incredible way to document our daily lives. I know that we’ll both feel so incredibly grateful to have these images when we look back on our younger days in the decades to come.

I’m one of those folks who eats, sleeps, breaths, wears, blogs and constantly thinks about vintage history, fashion, photography, food, and myriad other elements related to the past. It’s one of my greatest passions, and in fact, has shaped my life and who I am in more ways than I could ever count. I couldn’t imagine not wearing and enriching my world everyday with vintage, as doing so brings me an unending about of happiness.

Dear Jessica, congratulations on being selected QUEEN, although in my world you are number 1 Queen of Vintage. I so adore your blog, your photo shoots are always so lovely! You write so beautifully and from your vintage soul. What a fabulous honor. Hugs, Beverly

What a fabulous interview!! Eeep, so thrilled you were crowned a queen of vintage and there is no one more deserving of this title than you! So thankful I met you via blogger, you’re a true kindred spirit!